1. Field of the Invention
The field of the present invention is convection ovens.
2. Background
Convection ovens have enjoyed wide-spread popularity in commercial food establishments due to their ability to quickly and efficiently cook large quantities of food. Both electric and gas-fired convection ovens are known. Gas-fired convection ovens typically include an insulated oven chamber having an access door on the front side thereof. An inlet air passageway including a combustion chamber is typically located below the oven chamber and is separated from the oven chamber by the floor. One or more gas burners fire into the combustion chamber and heat the air within. A blower fan is disposed in the oven chamber, typically in the rear, and draws heated air from the combustion chamber into the oven chamber. The blower fan then mixes the heated air with air already in the oven chamber and circulates the mixed air within the oven chamber to cook food therein. An exhaust passageway, typically in the upper part of the oven, exhausts air that is displaced by the heated air from the combustion chamber.
The heat sources for conventional convection ovens tends to make them not portable—an oven having an electric element as the heat source would require a not-insubstantial power generator, especially when multiple ovens are used, and an oven using natural gas would require a pressurized gas source. Ovens heated by natural gas could be converted to liquid propane and use a portable LP tank, but resources for refilling LP tanks can sometimes be scarce. On the other hand, other types of liquid fuel that are less volatile and easier to transport and store, such as diesel fuel or kerosene, while not currently used as a source for heating convection ovens, could provide an easily replenishable fuel source.